Melting tank



G. @HEI-LMAN. MELTINGIAN'K. APRUCATION FILED 001.20, 1919,

' Patented July 18, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

G. C. HEILMAN.

MELTING TANK.

APPLICATION FILED OCI-20,1919. l ,422.858, Patented July i8, 1922.

, 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED sra'nssV GUYC. HEILMA'N, OF PHILADLPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.'

Mamme TANK.

Specification vof Letters Patent.

Patented J Illy 1S, 1922.

Application led otober 20, 1919. Serial No. 881,804,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUY C. HEILMAN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Philadelphia, in' the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvanla, have invented certain new and useful Im.- provements in Melting Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates' to melting tanks, and more particularly to tanks in which glass is melted for the manufacture of bottles or other articles. The object of my present invention is lto obtain a uniform heating action within the melting tank, and to utilize fully the caloric value of the fuel employed. Other features and advantages` of this invention will appear from the description following hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a typical example of a glass-melting tank constructed and-heated in accordance with my' present invention. Fig. 1. is partly a top view of such tank, and partly a horizontal section thereof on line 1--1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the tank; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section on line' 3-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section on line '4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fuel. say, producer gas, is supplied through iues or mains 10 extending horizontally at each side'of the tank 11, generally below the floor line. 1 From these mains, which may serve a plurality of melting tanks, upright pipes 12 lead to horizontal pipes/13, the connection of each pipe 12 with the corresponding pipe 13 being suitably controlled, as by a damper 14. The discharge end of each pipe 13 communicates with a mixing and combustion chamber 15, discharging int`o the main chamber or melting chamber 16 of the tank 11, at a point slightly below the roof 17 of said chamber. Each of the mixing and combustion chambers 15 is contracted toward its outlet, both in hei ht, as shown in Fig. 4, and in width, see Fig. 1. The bottom of the mixing chamber 15 may also be inclined downwardly toward the outlet, as indicated in Fig. 4, but this is not essential. Into the tapering portion of each mixing chamber 15 projects the outlet end of an air-nozzle 18, located at the upper portion of said chamber, and inclinedI downwardly toward the outlet of the mixing and combustion chamber. This airnozzle has a lateral connection with an airsupply pipe 19, receiving heated air as set forth below. The tube forming the air-nozi zle 18 is continued upwardly beyond the junction of. said tube with the pipe 19, and at the upper. end of this tube is located a peep-hole 18 closed bymica or other transparent material, so as to afford the possibility of watching the progress of combustion in the chamber 15, without however admitting air through the tube end containing the peep-hole 18. The chambers .15 are spaced evenly on each side of the melting chamber 16,l but preferably the combustion chambers 15 at one side are out of transverse alignment with those on' the other side of the melting chamber, this staggered arrangement being indicated clearly in Fig. 1. Between each two combustion chambers 15 on the same side of the tank, and in trans verse alignment with one .of the combustion chambers 15 on the other side of the tank 11. l locate an additional peep-hole 20, preferably made with a cover of m1ca or other transparent material. Through these peepholes 20, whichl preferably flare inwardly, I am enabled to watch from each Side wall of the tank, the combustion in the chambers 15 at the opposite side of the tank, and also the condition of the molten glass in the l chamber 16, the level of the glass being indicated at A. A bridge wall 21 of usual -or approved construction separates the melting chamber 16 from the end chamber, or clearing and working chamber 22 ofthe tank. the. clear molten glass paing into the chamber 22 lthrough an opening 21 located in 'the bridge wall 21 below the glass level A.

The upper ends of the air-supply pipes l 19 are connected with the intermediate chambers 23 of air-heaters 24 located at each side of the tank 11, above the roof 17 thereof. Each of the chambers 23 receives air at one end through a pipe 25, the air being generally forced through by means of a blower or the like (not shown). Each of the heaters 24 also has an upper chamber 26 and a lower chamber 27. connected at one end by an upright channel 28, while at the other end the chamber 26 (above the chamber 23) has an outlet or stack connection 29, and the lower chamber 27 has an intake connection 30 communicating with the melting chamber 16. It will be understood that the connections 29, 30 of the same heater 24 are superposed, or at least at the same end of 29, 30 of one heater 24 are at the forward portion of the melting chamber, and the connections of the other heater at the rear end of said chambe-r, as will be obvious from Fig. 1 in connection with the other views. By this diagonal arrangement 1 secure certain important advantages as regards the passage of the hot gases from the melt1ng chamber 16 to the stack connections 29. Dampers 31, 32 are shown to control respectively the stack connections 29 and the connections between the chambers 23 and the several nozzles 18. i

Bales 33 are shown in the lower portions of the pi s 13 between the pipes 12 and the outlets o the nozzles 18. l

In operation, fuel will pass from the mains -10 to the pipes 12 and 13, thus reaching the mixing and combustion chambers 1 5, and becoming mixed therein with the air supplied throu h Ythe pipes 19, forms a whirlin ball o? fire in each of said chambers, w ich ball of fire may be watched through the corresponding peep-hole 18. Any foreign matter contained 1n the fuel current is .thrown down in' front of the balile 33, which also dellects said current ulpwardly toward the outlet of the air-nozz e 18, so as to insure a more thorough mixture of fuel (generally producer gas) and air. The hot gases from the 'chambers 15 pass into the melting chamber 16 and keep the glass therein in a molten condition. It will be observed that the hot gases are thoroughly distributed within said chamber, owing to the fact that the combustlon chambers at one side of the tank are out of line with those on the opposite side. The peepholes 20 afford an opportunity to watch the molten glass and the combustion chambers arranged in transverse alignment wlth the respective peep-holes on the opposlte side ofthe melting chamber 16. The glass passes through the skipper-hole 21 of the bridgewall 21, from the melting chamber 16 to the clearing and working chamber 22, from which it is delivered to molds or other apparatus in any well-known or approved manner (not shown). The hot gases pass out from the chamber 16 through the connections 30, of which there are two, located at diagonally-opposite corners of the melting chamber 16, that is to say, one at the forward corner on one side (say, the right, Fig. 1), and the other at the rear corner on, the opposite (left hand) side. With this special arrangement, the maximum distance from a point of the melting chamber to one of the outlet connections is much smaller than if both connections were at the same end of the melting chamber, since in that case the hot gases from oints at the other end of the melting cham er would have to travel the full length of said chamber in order to reach one of the outlet connections.

The particular arrangement of inlets and outlets devised b me also insures a thorou h distribution of7 the heating gases within t e melting chamber. The .ases rise through the outlet connections 30 lnto the horizontal chambers 27, travel in said chambers len thwise of the melting chamber (forwar in one of the heaters 24 and rearward in the other), and at the opposite end of the said lower chamber 27 the through the channel 28 into the upper horizontal chamber 26. They then travel lengthwise in said upper chamber, in the direction opposite to their travel through the corresponding lower chamber 27, and, at the end adjacent to the connection'30`, the hot gases pass to the stack throu h the connections 29. It will be observe that Jthe hot gases are thus led along the air-chamber 2.3, oth above and below the same, and around one end thereof, so that the air sup lied to said chamber through the pipe 25 1s thoroughly heated in said chamber 23, while passing therethrough on its way to the connections or pipes 19 leading to the air-nozzles 18. The heating action in the chambers 23 may be regulated by adjusting the valves or dampers 31 and 32, or either of them, while the combustion in chamber 15 can be regulated by adjusting the fuel-valves 14 or the air-valves 32, or both.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the nature of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device of the class described, provided with a main chamber, combustion chambers discharging into said main chamber at one side, and peep-holes located in the opposite wall of the main chamber, in -line with the said combustion chambers.

gases pass upward 2. A device of the class described, proi vided with a main chamber and combustion chambers discharging into it at opposite sides, the combustion chambers on one side being out of line with those on the other side, and peep-holes located at each side, between the combustion chambers of the same side, and in line with the combustion chambers of the other side.

3. A device of the class described, provided with a main chamber of substantially rectangular shape having outlets at diagonally-opposite corners, combustion chambers discharging into said main chamber at opposite sides thereof, and air-heaters having air-paths delivering air to said combustion chambers, and hot-gas paths receiving gases from said outlets.

4. A device ofthe class described, provided with a main chamber of substantially rectangular lshape having outlets at diagonally-opposite corners, combustion cham` proximately horizontal air-chamber delivering air to one of said combustion chaml bers, and hot-gas chambers located above and below said air-chamber and connected at one end, the lower chamber being connected with the outletpof the main chamber at the other end, While the other end of the upper chamber has an outlet connection.

5. A device of the class described, provided with a main chamber of substantially rectangular shape having outlets at diagonally-opposite corners, and inlets for a heating medium along two opposite walls.

6. A device of the class described, provided with a main chamber having a gas outlet, means for discharging a heating medium into said chamber, and an air-heater extending longitudinally above said main chamber and provided with an air-path de-l livering air to said lheating medium, and

Vwith hot-gas paths located above and below said air-path and connected with said gasoutlet.

7. A device of the class described, provided with a main chamber havin a gas outlet, a combustion chamber disc arging into said main chamber, and an air-heater extending longitudinally above said main chamber and provided with a longitudinal air-chamber delivering air to said combustion chamber, and hot-gaschambers located longitudinally above and below said airchamber respectively, and connected with each other at one end, the other end of the lower chamber being connected with the outlet of the main chamber, while the other end of the upper chamber has an outlet connection.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

GUY c.` HEILMAN. 

